Author: Deborah

Body confidence - me in a pretty dress in the park.

Can someone please give me a huge kick up the bum? I’ve been feeling crappy about the weight that I put on while pregnant and I still haven’t done much about it 8 months on. I had a plan to exercise all the time but it hasn’t worked out.

Every day I look in the mirror and don’t particularly like what I see. Actually, it’s never every day as I tend to avoid mirrors where I can. I read all about how I’m supposed to be body confident and proud of my mum tum, but I’m just not.

When I was growing up and during university I was a healthy weight and happy with my tummy. Then I got an office job and it all went wrong. I hate office work mostly because you end up spending 8 hours on your arse not seeing natural light.

I obviously haven’t got the excuse of being bound to a desk the last 8 months but I can’t seem to shift the weight. I’ve tried slightly lowering my calorie intake. I actually dropped it a fair bit but then felt so weak so I upped it again. I tried running and doing the 30 day shred but then I’d have a period from hell or another cold and I’d stop exercising.

So please someone kick my butt into gear and get me moving. What exercise do you do to shift the postpartum weight? Any tips?

Author: Deborah

As soon as I saw these tree wall stickers I knew I had to have them for Eleanor’s nursery. It’s a tiny box room and I thought some wall stickers would decorate it well without making the room look smaller.

I had a look on Not on the High Street and there were hundreds to choose from. My eyes straight away went to the forest tree designs by Parkins Interiors. However it was really hard to find the design I wanted in the size that I needed. The wall I wanted it to go on isn’t that wide so I was limited with the designs I could choose.

Now I want to disclaimer this review and say that I really really love the product. I love the wall stickers that arrived. However the customer service I received was pretty shocking. I was told I would receive a 50% refund for the problems that occurred. But guess what, after chasing twice I’ve still not had a refund 2 months later. I really shouldn’t be shocked.

With that negativity out of the way, I want to talk about the stickers.

Eleanor's woodland theme nursery wall stickers. We picked them up from Parkins Interiors and they are amazing.

Eleanor's woodland theme nursery wall stickers. We picked them up from Parkins Interiors and they are amazing.

They are really good quality and were so easy to put up. They came in a long tube and all the stickers were on large sheets. I decided it would be easier for me to cut them all out. I cut out the branches with their numbers attached so I didn’t get confused. It came with a handy instruction sheet which told you what order to hang the tree parts in.

Once the branches were up I could arrange the leaves and animals however I wanted them. I made sure to press down hard and they’ve all stuck. They’ve been up a couple of weeks now and they haven’t budged.

Eleanor loves staring at them, especially the bees and the rabbit. She scratches at the bunny and it’s held up well so far. I am so glad we went for this design because it ties in nicely with the rest of the nursery decor. I even have a real bird house above the door.

Eleanor's woodland theme nursery wall stickers. We picked them up from Parkins Interiors and they are amazing.

Eleanor's Nursery forest woodland wall stickers

I am a bit torn as to whether I would order from them again. I adore their designs and I was probably just really unlucky this time. I wish they would sell some of their other animals individually like the hedgehog. I would love some other forest animals.

 

Author: Deborah

For my June bullet journal spread I am doing something a bit different. My Leuchtturm is nearly finished so I tried out June on paper. I printed out 3 pages of dotted A4 on 100gsm paper and 1 page of 120gsm as a title page.

June bullet journal spread title page

As the weather is warming up we’re spending more time in the garden. So I went for a floral and leaves theme for this spread. I’ve included a monthly overview and meal planner on the first spread. The meal planner is for all 3 meals as we’re weaning Eleanor my daughter so it’s useful to know what I’m making for us all.

June bullet journal spread month overview and meal plan

On the next spread I have a page for memories and a one line a day page. The memories can be filled with anything I want to remember – like the day Eleanor crawls for the first time. The line a day I’m going to use as a kind of gratitude journal. But I may also pop in an interesting titbit from the day or something I’ve achieved.

June bullet journal spread master task list stuff to do

Next up is a stuff to do page. This is my brain dump task list for the month. Everything I think I need to get done all in one place. I can then pick things from this list to fill in my weekly planer pages.

I have done 4 different weekly spreads for June. I’ve gone off a few of the ones I was using before and wanted to try something new. So I’ve gone for 4 weekly spreads and then for the last week of June I’ll be using dailies. On the back cover I’ve also added a notes page.

June bullet journal spread weekly spread June bullet journal spread weekly spread

You can see the full bullet journal spread in the video below. What’s your favourite weekly spread? How have you laid out your bullet journal for  June?

Last June’s bujo setup.

Author: Deborah

So, it’s been awhile. Not a very long while but a few weeks all the same. It felt really good to take a break. Not even just from blogging. I disappeared from YouTube and most social media too. I popped up on Instagram Stories a bit but that’s about it. Social media and I had a little falling out.

I’m sure it was nothing that it had done and it was all me. I was finding Twitter very repetitive and my feed just a steady stream of adverts and promotions. I’d scroll down and it was like the conversations and real people were hidden. It was a mass of scheduled promo tweets and I got bored quickly. Maybe I’m not following the right accounts and I should have a bit of a sort out. Maybe the algorithm is playing tricks on me and hiding all the good titbits. Who knows.

Life lately - switching off from social media.

I’d even gotten bored of YouTube and I never thought that would be possible. My subscriptions feed was a mass of speed cleaning 10 minute tidy up videos and I found myself wondering what on earth the world was coming to. I even thought I needed to film one until I realised that if I could afford a cleaner I would, as I hate cleaning, so why would anyone want to watch me clean. I sure as hell don’t.

I do love Instagram still but I felt that everyone was a bit sick of me posting endless photos of my little girl. And I realised that spending all day with her I don’t have much time to take photos of anything else. She’s my priority right now. She needs me and I don’t want to miss a thing. She’s showing signs of crawling any day now and I don’t want to be flicking through Twitter and miss it.

My heart still is feeling a little broken with social media. I do miss blogging and making videos but I’m going to take the pressure off. I’m not demanding any set number of posts and videos a week. Two fingers up to consistency right there!

While taking my time with blogging and videos I’m also making room for some of my hobbies. I love doodling and planning. I’m drawing more and hoping to turn them into some fun designs. I’m also trying to use my bullet journal more as I used to find it quite therapeutic. I think using it will also help structure my time better. I have limited hours when I’m not looking after Eleanor and I really need to make them productive.

This post is a little all over the place but I wanted to share with you where I’m at and where I’ve been. I’m making more time for me and treasuring the time I’ve got left with my little one before my maternity leave comes to an end.

Author: Deborah

I’m ashamed to admit it but my house has become a bit of a state since our baby arrived. I lost my routine and the cleaning went out the window.

There’s also so much STUFF in the house which needs to go. I desperately want to hire a skip and just through lots of things away. I found a screw fixing on top of our thermostat earlier, why on Earth was it living there? It’s been there for years and we replaced the thermostat last month. Someone’s a hoarder and I don’t think it’s me.

This it the cleaning schedule I use for Spring 2017. It includes rest days, daily chores and weekly tasks.

Now I’m in a bit more of a routine with my little girl Eleanor I’m finding the time to clean. I’ve created a schedule so I know exactly what I have to do each day. I am being really strict with myself for the first 21 days, as they say that’s how long it takes you to form a habit (depending on who you ask).

Since implementing this schedule the house still isn’t looking spotless but it is looking a damn sight cleaner! My next mission is to declutter, which is so ridiculously hard with a husband who says no to me even throwing out his table name place card from his work Christmas do – two years ago.

I’ve created a free printable version of the Weekly Cleaning Schedule in case you want to use it also.

Anyone else spring cleaning at the moment? My next task is to tackle the clutter!

This is a free printable cleaning schedule, which I use for Spring 2017. It includes rest days, daily chores and weekly tasks.

Author: Deborah

We adore pinwheels in this house so I’m here today with a pinwheels recipe. We’ve been trying so many different ingredients so I’ve also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas below.

Pinwheels recipe suitable for baby led weaning. I've also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas. They're perfect for lunch time or a picnic with your baby or toddler.

They are so easy to make and taste delicious. Eleanor, our little girl, loves them and gobbles them up. They make a really simple lunch for all of us.

Here’s a step by step video on how to make pinwheels.

Wasn’t that easy? All you need is some ready rolled puff pastry, an egg (for brushing) and whatever fillings you want to try. Here are some of my favourites.

  • Cheese and ham
  • Ham and Philadelphia cheese
  • Ham and pesto
  • Tuna and pesto
  • Tuna and Philadelphia cheese
  • Spinach, tomato puree, ham and cheese
  • Leftover bolognese
  • Grated apple and cinnamon
  • Banana and nutella
  • Peanut butter and grated apple

Pinwheels recipe suitable for baby led weaning. I've also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas. They're perfect for lunch time or a picnic with your baby or toddler. Pinwheels recipe suitable for baby led weaning. I've also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas. They're perfect for lunch time or a picnic with your baby or toddler. Pinwheels recipe suitable for baby led weaning. I've also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas. They're perfect for lunch time or a picnic with your baby or toddler.   Pinwheels recipe suitable for baby led weaning. I've also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas. They're perfect for lunch time or a picnic with your baby or toddler. Pinwheels recipe suitable for baby led weaning. I've also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas. They're perfect for lunch time or a picnic with your baby or toddler. Pinwheels recipe suitable for baby led weaning. I've also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas. They're perfect for lunch time or a picnic with your baby or toddler.

I seem to be cooking these every week. I sometimes struggle with lunch ideas to make for Eleanor. I used to just have a sandwich and the same thing every day. When we make these I usually give her one of each and then some fruit afterwards or vegetable sticks. She’s still at the very messy stage where a lot of the pastry falls to the floor. But she’s definitely eating some of it!

What’s your little one’s favourite food? I think these are definitely one of Eleanor’s. Find out how she’s been getting on with weaning at 9 months old and what her favourite foods are now.

Pinwheels recipe suitable for baby led weaning. I've also included a list of pinwheel filling ideas. They're perfect for lunch time or a picnic with your baby or toddler.

Author: Deborah

Eleanor’s nursery is finally finished!! She’s 7.5 months old and we started it while I was pregnant – so it’s taken a bloody long time. Now it’s finished we’ve moved her in there and it isn’t going too badly.

Eleanor's Nursery name door plaque

I spent months changing my mind on how I wanted to decorate Eleanor’s nursery. I finally settled on a woodland forest theme as she had so many bunny rabbits.

The room was painted a very pale green in a Dulex light reflecting paint. It’s a very small box room so I wanted something bright.

Her room starts outside in the hallway with a bookcase. I do need to reprint it as it’s my old bookcase from when I was growing up. At the moment it’s got her toys on top and some books on the shelves. Above the book case is this alphabet print from Daisy and Bump. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it!

Eleanor's Nursery ABC print

Eleanor's Nursery teddies on the bookcase

I wanted a print that had Eleanor’s name and date of birth on and I found this cute hedgehog design from a lovely lady who runs LittleBrambleArt on Etsy. This sits on her chest of drawers.

Above the drawers is her house shelves. I picked them up from The Range and painted the backs to match the handmade bunting that’s around her room. At the moment they’ve got some shoes and a plant in them but I’m looking for some pretty trinkets to display.

Eleanor's Nursery name print hedgehog

Eleanor's Nursery The Range houses painted shelves

For this wall I really wanted some wall stickers. I don’t even want to think how many hours I spent searching for the right design. Parkins Interiors had so so many tree designs!

My decision was made when I picked up a bird house to go above the door (you can see the house in the nursery tour video). This tree design goes really well with the theme and I bought the hedgehog from them separately to go with the print.

Eleanor's Nursery forest woodland wall stickers

Eleanor's Nursery forest woodland wall stickers

Eleanor's Nursery IKEA spice racks hack painted bookshelves

We picked up these spice racks from IKEA and I painted them like the houses. They’re going to keep the current reads in them. I love this little corner.

I really wish Eleanor’s room was bigger so I could fit a chair but you’ve got to work with the space you have. This is the smallest room in the house and when she gets bigger hubby will have to loose his office!

I am really pleased with how it turned out. She’s been in it a few nights now and I miss her so much at night. She seems happy in there which is all that matters.

Categories

About me

Hi there, I’m Deborah. I live in Hampshire with my husband and spend my time baking, making and getting out in the fresh air. Find out more or get in touch.

Youtube

Hello Deborah Live Stream

Popular posts

Me on Instagram